Ashley Force Gainesville Wrap-up

ASHLEY FORCE LOSES BY .005 OF A SECOND IN LUCAS SERIES FINAL

Ashley Force, 23-year-old daughter of drag racing icon John Force, fell just short of winning her first event of the 2006 season when she was beaten by .005 of a second (approximately two feet) in the final round of a Lucas Sportsman Series race at Gainesville Raceway.

Ms. Force gave herself a chance against favored Aaron Olivarez when she forged a .031 of a second advantage at the starting line. Unfortunately, that wasn’t quite enough to overcome Olivarez’ 5.507 second quarter mile. Ironically, it was a re-run of the final round from last year’s NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville – with the same result.

The number five qualifier in the Top Alcohol Dragster field, Ashley beat John Finke in round one and upset No. 1 qualifier Bill Reichert of Owosso, Mich., in the semifinals.

After the race, Ashley flew to Phoenix, Ariz., where on Tuesday she was to test in one of her dad’s Castrol Ford Funny Cars.

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Race Winners At-A-Glance:

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER: Aaron Olivarez, Sandy, Utah, 5.507, 257.14 mph, def. Ashley Force, Anaheim Hills, Calif., Castrol dragster, 5.543, 263.23 mph.
TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR: Jay Payne, Claremont, Calif., 2002 Chevrolet Camaro, 6.132, 243.30 mph, def. Bob Newberry, Schenectady, N.Y., 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 8.184, 110.83 mph.
TOP SPORTSMAN: Ronnie Davis, Suwanee, Ga., 1963 Chevrolet Corvette, def. Jeffrey Barker, Fort Valley, Ga., 2002 Chevrolet Camaro
COMPETITION: Kevin Houghtaling, Ashland, Va., 1991 Oldsmobile Calais, def. Glen Treadwell, Sorrento, Fla., dragster.
SUPER STOCK: Jim Harrington, Old Bridge, N.J., 1987 Chevrolet Camaro, def. Woody Adcock, Columbus, Ga., 1987 Pontiac Formula.
STOCK: Jim Boudreau, Tewksbury, Mass., 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, def. Garry Glazener, Jackson, S.C., 1972 Ford Mustang.
SUPER COMP: Gary Trumble, Ormonde Beach, Fla., dragster, def. Todd Ewing, Cullman, Ala., dragster.
SUPER GAS: David Scott, North Port, Fla., 1969 Chevrolet Nova, def. Tony Thompson, Naples, Fla., 1969 Chevrolet Camaro.
SUPER STREET: Michael Ruff, Orlando, Fla., 1992 Chevrolet Camaro, def. James Barbera, Trenton, Fla., 1966 Chevy II.

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TEAM CASTROL Details:

ASHLEY FORCE, 23, Castrol Top Alcohol Dragster
Qualifying position and performance: 5th at 5.425 seconds, 261.93 mph.
Race results: Beat John Finke, Bill Reichert; lost to Aaron Olivarez.
Notable: The final against Olivarez was a replay of the final round of the 2005 Mac Tools Gatornationals, also contested at Gainesville Raceway.
Quotable: “We had a very consistent race car and it was good to win some rounds. We just need to find a way to beat Aaron.”– ASHLEY FORCE.

Ashley’s NEXT EVENTS:
March 16-19 ACDelco Gatornationals Gainesville, Fla.
March 24-26 Lucas Sports Series/Division 2 Bradenton, Fla.
March 31-April 2 O’Reilly Auto Parts Spring Nationals Houston, Texas
April 7-9 Summitracing.com Nationals Las Vegas, Nev.
May 5-7 Summit Southern Nationals Atlanta, Ga.

-www.Castrol.com/us-